Jul 25, 2017 · 1 min read
I don’t know if I’m just abnormally utilitarian but this didn’t faze me at all — the answer was immediate, “Yes, of course I would throw myself.” (of course, this is in the hypothetical and in reality fear etc might restrict me, but that’s probably beside the point)
I don’t think it really makes sense to consider the case where you are the fat man as more significant than the case where you are one of the five. If you apply Rawls’s Veil of Ignorance, you are much more likely to be one of the five than the fat man. Presumably, you value living, so supporting the overthrowing of the fat man does seem like the obvious decision to me (it is the most likely way to survive, even if you disregard morality entirely).